The psychosocial approach to mental health looks at what the combined influence of psychological factors and the surrounding social environment have on your physical and mental wellness and your ability to function.

Psychosocial support is a non-medicinal treatment used to treat people with mental illness meaning it doesn’t use medication. Instead it works by altering the person’s behaviours and relationships with society. Education is key to the success of psychosocial support.
There are two main types of intervention: cognitive and behavioural therapy.

Cognitive therapy focuses on a person’s thoughts about themselves, their environment and their role in society. By changing negative internal dialogue to positive, the person can live a happy, healthy life. Some methods of cognitive therapy include individual counselling and group therapy with people with similar areas of difficulty.

Behavioural therapy is used to teach a person that skills needed to alter their behaviour. This helps people become more comfortable in social situations and overcome feelings of inadequacy or isolation.